Sheet-feeding apparatus for printing machines or other machines operating on paper sheets



Aug. 31 1926.

1,598,545 H. T. BACKHOUSE SHEET FEEDING APPARATUS FOR PRINTING MACHINESOR OTHER MACHINES OPERATING ON P HEETS Filed Nov. 24

APER S 28, 19

Patented Aug. 31, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HEADLEY TOWNSEND BAOKI-IOUSE, OF WALTHAMSTOW, LONDON, ENGLAND.

SHEET-FEEDING APPARATUS FOR PRINTING MACHINES OR OTHER OPERATING N PAPERSHEETS.

MACHINES Application filed November 28, 1924, Serial No. 752,784, and inGreat Britain November 30, 1923.

This invention relates to sheet-feeding apparatus for printing machinesor other machines operating on paper sheets and to the so-called endlessbands used in the coni veyance of sheets to the registering orequivalent devices of the machine. It is an object of this invention toremove certain disadvantages which have been found to arise from the useof the usual conveyor 10 bands.

In sheet-feeding apparatus employing endless bands for the conveyance ofthe sheets to the registering devices, the sheets are carried forwardone at a time on the 5 upper laps of the bands to a position in whichthe leading edge of the sheet comes into contact with and is temporarilyarrested by two or more stops usually termed lays or lay marks whichensure that each sheet in succession is brought into the same position,as regards the alignment of its forward edge, before being passed on tothe printing or other machine.

Hitherto the conveyor bands used for the above purpose have not,strictly speaking,

been endless. Each band has been constituted by a length of tape, thetwo ends of which after being passed round the driving shafts orspindles have been joined together by some form of fastener or by sewingor cementing. In the region of a oint there may be, and generally are,portions either of the tape or of the fasteners which project above theotherwise flush upper sur- 8D face of the tape, and it is theseprojections which are liable to cause faulty registration of the sheets.It will be understood that when a sheet is arrested by the front lays arear portion of that sheet still overlies the conveyor bands, and thatsaid bands continue to travel while the sheet is temporarily at rest. Itis during this period that a projection at the joint in a conveyor tapemay engage the rear edge of the sheet and upset the alignment thereof.The greater the number of tapes employed the greater is the chance thatthe rear edge of a sheet will be fouled at some place or other by theadvancing tapes.

According to this invention the conveyor bands are in the form of tapeswhich are constituted endless in the course of their manufacture. Theymay be woven in the form of truly endless bands, such as the tape knownin commerce as the Scandinavian woven belt. Again they may be built upfrom a length of material, the two ends of which are joined duringmanufacture in such a way as to present a substantially flush outersurface. It will be appreciated that the surface which can be providedon a manufactured article of this type is considerably more uniform thanit is possible to obtain on a tape having ends which are joined togetherby fasteners or otherwise after assembly. The tapes em ployed incarrying out the invention are therefore characterized by. the absenceof any projections at joints in the tape or elsewhere which would beliable in the circumstances hereinbefore explained to engage behind andfoul the rear edge of a temporarily stationary sheet.

Accordingly the present invention provides for use in conjunction withthe auto- 75 matic registering or like devices of a printing machine orother machine operating on paper sheets the combination of endless tapesof the type hereinabove specified for the conveyance of-the sheets tothe registering or like devices and means to permit of the cndwiseassembly of the conveyor tapes on their driving shafts.

The term driving shafts is used herein to indicate the shafts, spindles,rollers or like members customarily employed in bandconveyors of thetype with which this invention is concerned. Usually only one of saidshafts or like members is driven and the other one which is freelymounted for rotation is .a follower.

Any convenient means may be adopted to allow of the endwise insertion ofthe tapes.

l or example the shaft bearings at one side of the machine may be soconstructed as to be easily removed when required. In one constructionaccording tothe invention one or each of the shafts or spindles uponwhich the tapes are mounted, is in two portions with a detachablecoupling between them.

The accompanying drawings (largely diagrammatic) illustrate by way ofexample, two arrangements which may be employed for permitting theendwise insertion and removal of the conveyor tapes.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a portion of a sheet-feedingmachine in which endless bands according to this invention are employed.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of one of 110 the tape rollers showingone method for the insertion of the conveyor tapes, and

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of a tape roller showing analternative arrangement for the insertion of the tapes.

Like reference numerals indicate parts in the various figures.

In the machine illustrated in Figure 1, the sheets are conveyed down aregister board 10 by series of endless tapes 11. extending between upperand lower tape rollers 12, 13. The roller 13 is set into the board 10and the central portion of the latter is constructed by removable panels1% located between the upper and lower laps of the conveyor tapes. Tiesheets are carried forward one at a time on the upper laps of the tapes11 to a position in which the leading edge of the sheet comes intocontact with and is temporarily arrested by two or more registeringstops l5. lVhile the sheet is thus arrested, a side lay 16 comes intooperation after which the sheet is passed on say to a printing machine.

In this example the conveyor tapes are driven by the upper tape roller12 (the driving mechanism being shown in Figure 1 by chain lines at 17)while the lower roller 13 round which the tapes pass is an idler orfollower. Conveniently the construction shown in Figure 2 is adoptedfort-he upper roller 12 and that shown in Figure 3 for the lower roller13. In the Figure 2 construction the roller is in two portions 18, 19the inner ends of which are carried in a central bearing block 20. Theinner ends of the rollers meet in a half-lap oint and are maintained indriving engagement by a cap 21 (Figure 1) which is bolted on to the topof the bearing block. The drive for the conveyor tapes is transmitted tothe outer end of the section 18. Near the outer end of each section aflexible joint 27 is provided in order topermit of each section beingswung upwards into a position clear of the bearing block 20. ll hen thetapes are to be inserted on or removed from say the section 1 8 the cap21 is removed and the inner end of the section lifted clear of the blockas indicated in Figure 2. Similarly for the insertion or removal oftapes on or from the roll section 19, the latter is swung clear of thebloclr about the joint 27, and in this way the section presents a freeend over which the tapes may be passed.

It is of course also necessary to present a free endfor the passage ofthe tapes over the lower roller 13. In the construction shown in Figure3 the roller is in one piece supported at its ends by bearings which areso coi'istructed as to permit of one end of theroller being freed whenrequired. The roller s tubular and at one end is mounted on a fixed pin22 with a ball race 23 between t'he pin and the wall of the roller.

like

The pin 24 which supports the opposite end of the roller isscrew-threzuled in the supporting member 25 so that it may be moved inthe direction of the axis of the roller. The outer end of the pin 24 isformed with a knurled head 26 by which the pin may readily bemanipulated. When it is desired to free one end of the roller the pin 2%is unscrewed, which leaves the left-hand end of the roller free for theinsertion of tapes. The arrangement may be such that when the pin liswithdrawn the roller may be slid to the left and then completelyremoved.

It will be understood that the construction shown in Figures 2 and 3 aregiven by way of example only and it is not necessary that the upperroller should be in two portions while the lower roller is in one piece.if desired both rollers may be provided with the same means forpermitting the endwise insertion of the tapes. The upper or drivingroller may be in a single length without a central bearing. In this casethe end bearing remote from the driving mechanism would be split, sothat on removal of one half of the bearing the roller could be liftedinto a. position in which it presented a free end for the passage of theconveyor tapes over the roller.

The invention is applicable in general to sheet-feeding devices in whichthe bands b which a sheet is conveyed continue to advance after thatsheet has been brought to rest and while at least a portion of the sheetstill overlies the bands. The endless bands may be used either alone orin conjunction with the usual feed board located between the upper andlower laps of the bands.

lVhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In sheet feeding apparatus operating in conjunction with registeringor like devices for the sheets, the combination with endless tapes forconveying the sheets to the registering devices, said tapes being of thetype constituted endless during their manufacture, of driving shafts forthe tapes aforesaid, and means associated with said driving shafts, topermit of the endwise insertion thereon and withdrawal therefrom of thetapes, the means aforesaid being constituted, as to one at least of thedriving shafts, by a transverse division of said shaft into two sectionscoupled at their inner ends by a releasable driving connection arrangedwhen released to free said inner ends for the passage thereover of thetapes.

2. In a sheet-feeding apparatus operating in conjunction withregistering or like devices for the sheets, the combination with endlesstapes for conveying the sheets to the registering devices, said tapesbeing of the type constituted endless during their manufacture, ofdriving shafts for the tapes aforesaid, and means associated with saiddriving shafts, to permit of the endwise insertion thereon andwithdrawal therefrom of the tapes, said means being constituted as toone at least of the shafts by a joint in the length thereof and by meansto allow of said joint being broken and of the portions of the shaft onopposite sides of the joint being moved out of alignment into positionsin which the inner ends of said portions are free for the passagethereover of the tapes.

3. In sheet-feeding apparatus operating in conjunction with registeringor like devices for the sheets, the combination with endless tapes forconveying the sheets to the registering devices, said tapes being of thetype constituted endless during their manufacture, of driving shafts forthe tapes aforesaid, and means associated with said driving shafts, topermit of the endwise insertion thereon and withdrawal therefrom of thetapes, said means being constituted as to one at least of the drivingshafts by a transverse division of said shaft into two sections, areleasable driving connection between the adjacent (inner) ends of theshaft-sections and flexible joints in said sections near the outer endsthereof.

a. In sheet-feeding apparatus operating in conjunction with registeringor like devices for the sheets, the combination with endless tapes forconveying the sheets to the registering devices, said tapes being of thetype constituted endless during their manufacture, of driving shafts forthe tapes aforesaid, and means associated with said driving shafts, topermit of the endwise insertion thereon and withdrawal therefrom of thetapes, said means being constituted as to one at least of the drivingshafts by a transverse division of said shaft into two sections havingtheir inner ends formed to engage one another in a driving connection, asplit bearing, at least one half of which is readily removable, arrangedto support the inner ends of the shaft sections and to maintain saidends in driving engagement, and flexible joints in the shaft sectionsnear the outer ends thereof.

5. In sheet-feeding apparatus operating in conjunction with registeringor like devices for the sheets, the combination with endless tapes forconveying the sheets to the registering devices, said tapes being of thetype constituted endless during their manufacture, of driving shafts forthe tapes aforesaid, one of said shafts being divided at a point betweenits ends into two sections having a detachable coupling between them,and the other shaft being supported as to one of its ends in adetachable bearing.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature' HEADLEY TOWNSEND BACKHOUSE.

